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Facetime for Mac Beta is Out

As well as update to iLife and the Macbook Air Apple have released a public beta of their Facetime video calling application for Mac. The beta can be downloaded from the Apple site here.

FaceTime for Mac makes it possible to talk, smile, wave, and laugh with anyone on an iPhone 4, iPod touch, or Mac from your Mac over Wi-Fi. So you can catch up, hang out, joke around, and stay in touch with just a click. Sure, it’s great to hear a voice. But it’s even better to see the face that goes with it.

From the tiny camera on your Mac comes a huge video-calling experience. The window frame and controls fade away so you can enjoy your conversation without distractions. With picture-in-picture view, you can see how you look to the person you’re calling. And everyone can gather around the big Mac screen and get in on the fun.

When you call someone on an iPhone 4 or iPod touch, you see everything on the other end without a hitch. Whether they use the front or rear camera or rotate from portrait to landscape, FaceTime for Mac smoothly adjusts the view.

FaceTime is easy to set up on your Mac. All you need is an Apple ID and an email address and you’re ready to roll. To start a video call with your best friend, just find her entry in the Contacts list.

FaceTime works perfectly with Address Book so you don’t have to enter your contacts from scratch. Click her phone number if you want to call her iPhone 4. To call her iPod touch or Mac, use her email address.

An invitation pops up on her screen. When she accepts, the video call begins. And there you are, face to face. Mac to iPhone, iPod touch, or Mac.